Garudasana (eagle pose): My New Favorite

Garudasana, or Eagle Pose, has become my new favorite expression. Not because of the physical nature of the pose, but rather the story behind it which is beautifully described in this months copy of Yoga Journal (which I blogged about a few days ago -- still happy that there is a man on the cover this time!) Here is a brief synopsis of the article: Garuda is a Sanskrit word which means mythical bird. In Hindu tradition, Garuda is said to be the bird which the god Vishnu rides on. In Tibetan tradition, the garuda is said to be a magical bird that is considered to be very powerful because they have the ability to fly without ever needing to land. Although flying endlessly, these magical birds never tire, because they have learned how to ride the wind.

While we practice garudasana we can keep the story of the garuda in mind, and figure out a way to translate that to our own experience, both on and off the mat. The garuda rode the wind, and for us that means we can ride the energy of the pose, being open to what happens and finding our stability and steadiness no matter what we encounter in the pose. When we begin to resist is when we will likely give up so its important that we remain open. Off the mat, we can learn from the Garuda by being open to any situation that we find ourselves in, good or bad. We can meet each experience with an openness as opposed to resisting, and find stability and steadiness in any situation.

In yoga, we learn a lot about ourselves while on our mats. We learn about our strengths and weaknesses, We learn how our bodies respond to certain situations. We learn to pay attention to our reactions. The key is that we don't leave these lessons on the mat, but rather take them with us when we leave the studio.